Delete Button

Out in the real world most things have a delete facility - we have erasers, tippex, snowpake, whitewash as well as backspacing and delete keys. Other forums and social media allow posters to delete or edit. Just because Mumsnet doesn't allow it isn't a good argument against in my opinion. Another thread moaned about people duplicating comments and posting without reading other posts so having a delete or edit button at least allows that sort of irritating problem to be sorted out by the poor poster. And all those irritating badly spelled and punctuated titles might get amended. And yes, personally I would like to delete things I've written but I don't want to have to explain why to anyone else. I think it's called free speech. But of course, GNHQ likes to have full access to all our comments for advertising purposes and if we cut out our comments now and again it b*ggers things up...

I'm afraid I feel deeply suspicious about the lack of edit facilities on here, especially as I know of no other forums that don't allow people to edit their posts.

If you preview your posts you have the opportunity to correct spellings and typos.

Mollie, I don't get the bit about GNHQ having full access to all our comments for advertising purposes. Am I being thick??

When you join you have to agree to allowing Gransnet to publish anything that you've said on the forum [I think; I can't find where it is but I'm pretty sure that's correct]. Which is another reason why it would be nice to be able to edit what we write. I don't lose sleep over it, but it does puzzle me. I always read through what I've written but still have typos all the time [always in too much of a hurry I guess].

Merlotgran, if you are on FB, for example, you might get ads featuring comments from the forum. It's a bit disconcerting to see your own posts featured in an ad... I'm sure they're posted elsewhere, maybe twitter, I don't know for certain...

Heavens! I must go around with my eyes shut. I never notice anything like that. Advertising is wasted on me.

Yep, they appear on Twitter too.

Oh, I never knew that!

I know they seem to know what I have been looking at and come up with helpful suggestions as popups or at the side on FB which is disconcerting.

In the "real world" mollie you cannot change an email once you have pressed Send, recall a fax once it has gone down the line, delete a text once you have sent it or recall a tweet on Twitter. I was surprised the other day to discover that Tippex still exists!
Anyway IMO it is inappropriate to whinge about GN - it is a free service and if we don't like the way it is run, we can choose not to visit. Also MN/GN do a lot of good work behind the scenes that we don't always hear about. e.g. there was a recent survey of women's voting intentions publishes, which was paid for by MN, which revealed the very interesting statistic that Labour is well ahead of the Tories in the polls when it comes to female voters of all ages. This will now put more pressure on political parties to consider women's issues in the forthcoming election.

Hey JessM, I wasn't whingeing about GN but simply putting my case for a delete button. I made points based on facts, nothing else...check it out. I agree you can't retract a fax or an email - there are always two sides to every point. But this is a public forum and it would be nice to remove my comments made in haste or otherwise if I wanted to. I accept I may never be able to here on GN because I don't control the programming but if I did I'd ensure a delete or edit button was available. And I like GN for many reasons and yes, I know I have the option not to post thank you.

I think you are being a bit naive Jess.

But don't let me disillusion you. (sweet)

LOL jings it's a long long time since someone has called me naive.

Not entirely sure what I'm being naive about though. Still it's a nice change from being sceptical and cynical

Has a particular parenting website ever done anything that did n't have benefits for them?

Doesn't said website make an awful lot of money from advertising, books, etc?

Is n't it hoped that GN will be as lucrative?

No problem with that, but let's be honest.

I don't think they have ever hidden that they make their money from advertising. Let's face it, they don't make anything out of us!

Advertising funds most websites, unless they are selling stuff direct, and helps pay for even those that do sell direct.

Absolutely. (I was addressing *Jess' s post to me)

Is it naive to think that a woman can start an ethical business jings ?
And why the heck should it not be a success?
MN has backed a number of worthwhile campaigns - bit like Anita Roddick did in her time.

We're moving off topic here now...

Yes, but did they actually put any of their own money into their good works? Or just bask in the publicity gained? How is Mumsnet particularly ethical?

I repeat, nothing wrong with making profits. I'm not dissing that at all. More power to the elbows of Ms's Longton and Roberts. Good business people.

Mollie threads wander.

Jingle, that's not wandering, it's going off piste!!

Jess started it. Not me.

Only a bit like Anita Roddick. A very little bit.

I am not party to the personal finances of Justine, Carrie et al but I don't suppose you are either jings but I approve of the campaigns that MN has engaged in to date.